hollywood billionaire

Chapter 303 The curtain is about to begin (Part )

"Safi!"

What Andrew Roussos likes to do most is to open the door to his house after a day's work, call out to his baby girl with great energy, and then see those flaxen eyes and ponytail, jumping towards her. Pounce on yourself.

But today, Andrew failed to see the scene that he had been looking forward to all day.

Almost at the same time, he guessed what his beloved was doing.

"Where's my little moon pie...oh there you are." Crossing the short corridor and gently pushing open the door of his daughter's room, Andrew showed a natural and gentle smile.

His wife, Lisa, had a pair of reading glasses hanging from her nose, sitting cross-legged on the floor, using her laptop to catch up on Netflix's recent hit "Stranger Things." Daughter Safi is lying in the middle of her favorite princess bed, with her little feet raised and typing on the keyboard of her mobile phone with concentration, seemingly chatting with a friend.

This is the strange phenomenon in the Russos family. The mother is chasing the dramas that her daughter should like to watch, and the daughter is doing things that her mother should like to do.

“On Instagram again?”

When asking this question, Andrew looked at his wife Lisa.

"What else?" Lisa adjusted her glasses and smiled at her husband, "Sharing life with her sister."

Safi is the only child of the Russos, but when he heard the title "sister", Andrew just smiled and nodded, as if it was a matter of course.

He knew very well who Lisa called her sister.

In the Roussos household, this was Madison Beale's code name.

A few months ago, Safie Roussos, who was originally a fan of Ariana Grande, suddenly became obsessed with supernova Madison Beer, who quickly became famous with her song "Cold Water".

Children's love is like this, like a summer shower, it will fall at any time and stop at any time, without any warning.

But this time, it seems different.

Safi's admiration for Madison Beer isn't as fleeting as her fascination with The Hunger Games, One Direction or 5 Seconds of Summer. She loves singing, and takes the Long Island girl thousands of miles away who has gained world attention through YouTube as her goal and belief.

The beginning of this wonderful connection began on March 2016, 3. On that day, Safi accidentally heard an angelic voice while her mother was browsing Instagram.

"Mom, who is singing?" Safi asked.

"There is a kid named Madison Beale...oh, he seems to be a little star." Lisa clicked on the homepage, took a look at Madison's fan count, and replied.

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure, sweetheart, take it."

That day, Lisa handed Safi a new world.

Over the next hour or so, Safi watched Madison’s Instagram posts and all of her YouTube videos.

The next day, Saturday, she borrowed her mother's cell phone again, locked herself in the bedroom, and recorded a few covers of "At Last" seriously, then opened Madison Beer's homepage and sent the video.

[Hi Madison my name is Safi and I really like your version I tried it but]

Safi was so nervous that she didn't finish the sentence and even forgot to put in the punctuation marks, so she accidentally pressed the send button.

After trying several times and being unable to withdraw, she opened the door, returned the phone to her mother glumly, and then put her head under the pillow, feeling sad all afternoon.

"What's wrong, baby?" Andrew and Lisa both came to care about her.

"It's okay, just a little tired."

Safi is very sensible, and she knows that she should not bother her parents who love her so much with such trivial matters.

But Safi was really unhappy.

Safi didn't play well.

Madison Beer saw her sentence without punctuation...

She will think Safi is a stupid child.

She will definitely ignore me.

I couldn't sing well, and I couldn't speak clearly.

I messed up.

If her mother hadn't knocked on the door three times and she was really hungry, Safi would have even wanted to punish herself by skipping dinner.

“Baby, did you post something on my Instagram?”

Safi pouted and grimaced as she smashed the Greek meatballs on the plate little by little, when she suddenly heard her mother's question.

"I……"

Safi wants to lie, but lying is not a good boy.

"I sent a video of me singing to...a singer, Mom."

"That singer..." Lisa glanced at the screen, "Is her name Madison Beale?"

"How do you know?" Safi's eyes widened, extremely surprised.

"Because, sweetheart..."

Lisa put the phone in front of Safi, her tone full of tender love.

"She just replied to you."

[Love it, you sound like an angel, dear Safi! Thank you for brightening my day! Keep up the good work and keep sending me them：)]

Many people will never experience in their lifetime what it feels like to have the world before their eyes lit up.

And Safi realized it at the age of seven.

"Do you want to reply to her, honey?" Lisa pushed the phone towards Safi again, "I think she likes you very much."

"Okay, okay, Mom."

Safi put down her fork, wiped her hands on the tablecloth, and put her fingertips on the screen.

[I will, Madison, I love you so much. I hope I can always hear your singing, every day, forever! ]

This is how a beautiful friendship between idols and fans that spans oceans, borders, and ages begins.

Safi still doesn't know what her appearance means to Madison.

March 3 was Madison’s darkest moment.

In the second half of last year, Island Records gradually stopped all plans related to Madison, and the debut album project was frozen indefinitely. In November 2015, before the Thanksgiving holiday, Island Records sent a termination notice to Scooter Braun's team.

In December 2015, the last thing she did before leaving the office at SB Projects was to inform Madison Beal that her management company was leaving her.

A teenage starlet who was fired by her manager.

Hollywood's latest joke.

For three months, Madison endured this numbly.

It was her insistence on music style that wore away the record company's patience. It was her fake photos that were widely circulated on social media that ruined her innocent and beautiful persona.

This is a belated breakup, a destined farewell.

She lost the team around her that she had come to consider family. She worked with them for many years, but was eventually terminated and never heard from most of them again.

She uprooted her family and moved them to Los Angeles, only to return to the place where her dream began in embarrassment a few years later.

She failed in her pursuit of her dream, a failure she believed she would regret for the rest of her life.

She will lose her entire career.

"Maybe it's a blessing in disguise."

On March 3, Tracy Beal sat in front of her daughter's bed and said this to her. They have been struggling on the edge of this bizarre daydream for three months. During this time, Tracy did not return to Long Island once. She was always in Los Angeles, trying to find a solution to the situation.

Can't find it.

How could a New York mother who didn't even know where the door of Hollywood opened could help her daughter, who had been kicked out by elite managers and top major labels, find a suitable alternative?

There is no next home.

To put it harshly, no one wants to pick up other people’s trash.

To make matters worse, since his career has been managed by Scooter Braun's team from beginning to end, after the termination of the contract, Tracy could not even find a useful contact in his address book.

Neither she nor Madison were in their address books.

Apart from sporadic product promotions through Instagram, as a star, Madison Beer has lost all channels to speak out.

She once took publicity, exposure and the fame that came with it for granted. Only then did she truly understand who was the pawn and who was the player in the dream-chasing game she participated in.

For a sixteen-year-old girl, this was the most painful and helpless revelation.

"It doesn't feel like it."

Madison curled up into a ball on the bed and looked at her mother with guilt. Tracy gave up his career, and Rhett gave up on his friends in Long Island to move to Los Angeles with her, trusting her wholeheartedly.

But they have at most a month left.

In a month, the lease of the apartment expires. If you still can't find a way to return to stardom, there is no point in staying any longer.

Rhett needs to go to college, Tracy needs to get her company back up and running...and she also needs to think about life after her dreams are shattered.

"Nothing has changed, Madison," Tracy said, leaning closer to her daughter. "You haven't lost your voice, you're still as talented and creative as you were on the first day you signed... and your fans haven't abandoned you."

"I have no fans, Mom, everything is just an illusion." Madison forced a forced smile and threw the phone on the bed, "Do you want to open my private message and take a look?"

"Then have you made a decision? Do you want to stay and continue to be a singer, or do you want to go back to Long Island and change your life?"

Madison shrugged and remained silent.

Seeing her daughter's dejected look, Tracy sighed heavily: "Listen, this is entirely your decision. Don't worry about me or what I think. If you want to move on, I support you 100%. We We'll stay here to sort it out, but it means we have to work our butts off."

"But." Mom's voice softened, "If this is too much to bear, maybe this ending... is a blessing for you."

"We could go back to Long Island, re-enroll you, and singing could fall back on your hobby... and you could still post cover videos for your fans."

"Going home doesn't mean you've failed. But it's a decision you have to make for yourself, Madison," Tracy told her daughter, "because I can't force you. You have to be alone with yourself and figure out what you want Want anything.

"Ok."

This was all Madison could muster out in response before her mother exited the room and handed the bedroom back to her.

Because she couldn't find a more detailed answer for the time being.

Madison was so young when this all started that she didn't realize she was making a decision that would have lifelong consequences.

Now that she's older, she needs to decide if she still loves music enough to still give it her all. She needs to decide whether she still likes what she's doing and whether she wants to stay in a city where fame and fortune are paramount.

On the one hand, Madison is still fascinated by Hollywood, and it would be a lie to say that the popularity and popularity she is receiving is just a burden to her. Madison is well aware that the life she has lived over the past few years is the ultimate dream for teenage girls everywhere.

Hand-picked by Justin Bieber and protégé of Scooter Braun, there’s no better start than this.

But on the other hand, she also understood that no matter how much joy and wonder this path brought, she would inevitably lose a large part of her childhood.

Madison lost all of her best friends back home and watched them grow closer to each other and start high school without her. She gave up the normal school experience, prom and homecoming, and the summer camp she looked forward to every year but never found the time to return to.

Going home means that Madison can find her self that may be ordinary but happy enough. This kind of attraction in life also makes her yearn for it.

How to choose?

Madison couldn't make the decision on her own.

So, she posted a five-second cover video on Instagram.

She wanted to see if fans could help her make the decision.

The video quickly surpassed 100,000 views.

"I love you."

"it is good!"

"Slay girl."

"GET IT GIRL!"

The same formulaic compliments come from a gray and white trumpet that doesn’t even post a single post.

Madison even wondered if this was because the robot traffic purchased by the management company had not been used up.

"She really can't sing."

"You ruined the song."

“Being famous doesn’t mean you can sing, whoops.”

"Post more sexy photos, that's not what you do, girl."

The comments made to smear her are still the same.

If you don't like me, why do you have to come see me?

“@cassandra_gva.”

"@bubsmack."

"@x.lucyparis.x."

What confuses Madison the most is the people who @Friends in the comment area.

What comment would you like them to make?

Can't you just tell me?

Or... do you think discovering a new post posted about twenty minutes ago is something worthy of showing off to your friends?

It seems that I can't find the answer in the comment area. Madison sighed and opened the private message.

She almost never opens unfamiliar messages. 99% of them are meaningless harassment messages, all of which are hidden by her.

But today, she's ready to see a real world she's never touched.

These words that have never seen the light of day may be the opinions she should refer to most.

"Madison, I love you!"

"marry me."

"Your pussy looks pretty tight, please pat it more."

"Want to date? DM me."

"How did a rotten guy like you get noticed by Justin? Go to hell."

"She is indeed a slut."

Browsing through the pages at a glance, Madison Beal doesn't have many emotional fluctuations, neither positive nor negative. She is like a player, reading the NPC answers randomly generated by the system.

One second he said he loved me, the next second he called me a slut... These were actually sentences written by the same person.

Madison shook his head and laughed.

Otherwise... so be it.

Count a hundred comments from this slut down.

More compliments and she stayed in Hollywood and kept going.

After more bad words, she returned to Long Island. Back to school, back to her family, back to the forest camp at Cape Opines that had haunted her.

1, 2, 3...start, counting!

praise.

praise.

Bad words.

Bad words.

Bad words...

By the time we reached item 86, the ratio of positive private messages to negative comments was 36:50.

Most of them are related to her unfounded photos.

No wonder it was abandoned.

The reviews are so bad.

People only want to see the gossip they want to see - another teen celebrity falling like Lindsay Lohan.

I took so many pictures with my genitals pointed at the camera and posted them everywhere. No wonder I can get along in Hollywood.

Shameless bitch.

Parents’ favorite negative teaching material.

Fine.

Madison rubbed his sore neck, raised his head, looked at the ceiling, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

The defeat is certain, but let’s finish it.

Article 87.

[LisaRoussosJourney: hi Madison my name is Safi and I really like your version I tried it too but]

Below the text message is a one minute and twenty-four second video.

Click to open, and a little girl with a flaxen ponytail and flaxen eyes stares at the screen seriously and sings in a low voice.

"At Last" by Etta James.

That song earned her a repost from Justin Bieber and made her famous overnight.

A little off-key, but the voice is sweet. Her breath was disordered due to nervousness, but it still couldn't hide the girl's unpolished talent.

This was the first time Madison Beal saw Safi Roussos.

It was also the second time she saw herself.

When she was seven or eight years old, she had the same expression and the same posture, but the device used for filming was not a smartphone, but a handheld home DV.

"finally……

The sky above me is blue again,

I am fascinated by the endless four-leaf clover fields.

I watch you at night,

I finally found a dream that I could talk to,

A dream of my own. "

Like the first bell before dawn, Safi used her childish performance to pull Madison back from the dark vortex of sinking.

She finally remembered why she had to speak in front of the camera and why she posted the video on YouTube.

Because she also has a dream, a dream of her own, and she wants to find someone to talk to and share it with.

On May 2012, 5, Madison sang for herself and for thousands of girls like Safi.

As long as there is Madison and Safi in this world, the flame of dreams will never go out.

She wants to be like Prometheus, carrying the fire and moving forward.

It doesn't matter whether the road is up the mountain or down the mountain. Is it leading to new life or inevitable decline?

As long as there's one person left who needs to see her step, it makes sense.

[madisonbeer: Love it, you sound like an angel, dear Safi! Thank you for brightening my day! Keep up the good work and keep sending me them：)]

[LisaRoussosJourney: I will, Madison, I love you so much. I hope I can always hear your singing, every day, forever! ]

[madisonbeer: You will, I promise, you will hear my singing. Every day, forever! ]

In this way, Madison made up her mind and chose to stay in Los Angeles.

Tracy renewed her lease on her apartment in Santa Monica for another year.

A month later, on April 4, Madison Beal was invited to attend UTA’s celebration party at 8 Stradella Road.

The rest is history.

In his heart, Madison has always regarded Safi, who appeared out of thin air, as his guardian angel.

So does Safi.

In the beginning, Safi would send Madison a cover video every Saturday, and Madison would leave warm encouragement. Later, the topics of their chats were no longer limited to music, but also included school, weather, celebrities, movies, favorite boys... Madison became the sister that Safi had longed for since birth, and Safi became the sister that Madison had never known. I have experienced a cute, soft and clingy sister.

[madisonbeer: If mom is at work, you have to return the phone to her. You can’t interfere with mom’s work, you know? ]

[LisaRoussosJourney: I know, mom has the day off. ]

[LisaRoussosJourney: Maddie, I really want to go see your show in Las Vegas. ]

[madisonbeer: Do you have a day off? I'll think of a way to bring you over during the holidays. ]

[LisaRoussosJourney: What specific day do you perform? I only see numbers 28, 29, and 30. ]

[madisonbeer: I'm Friday, honey. ]

[LisaRoussosJourney: Damn, I have class that day. ]

[madisonbeer: No swear words allowed. ]

[madisonbeer: You must attend class well and don’t skip school. ]

[LisaRoussosJourney: Okay. ]

Across the screen, Madison could feel Safi's loss.

[madisonbeer: I promise you, as long as you study hard and get all A's at the end of the semester, I will come to your place to perform. ]

[LisaRoussosJourney: Really? ]

[madisonbeer: When did I lie to you? Didn’t the scarf I sent you last time have already been delivered? And it’s just you, dad and mom each, isn’t it? ]

[LisaRoussosJourney: OK, I'll get an A. ]

[madisonbeer: Good boy! ]

Safi didn't reply, but a minute later she sent a photo. In the picture, Safi opened her mouth wide with a missing front tooth, smiled brightly and gave a thumbs up to the camera.

In response, Madison imitated Safi and sent back a thumbs-up photo.

"Are you chatting with your sister again?"

Han Yi, who walked up to Madison with three cups of coffee, didn't need to guess who the person he was chatting with could make Madison become so childish.

Andrew and Lisa called Madison Safi's sister, while Han Yi called Safi his long-lost biological sister. They have never met, but their assessment of the situation is surprisingly consistent.

"Yeah." Madison readily accepted the title of sister from the first day. She put her phone back into her pocket, her relaxed and happy expression still on her face, "She wants to come to Las Vegas to see me perform."

"Then take her over. I'll give her a plane ticket and her parents."

Han Yi gently placed the two cups of coffee held in his left hand on the dining table and pushed them opposite Madison. In two large and comfortable beige leather seats, Billie and her brother Phineas were sleeping soundly. They just finished their program recording trip in New York yesterday and returned to Los Angeles late at night. They rushed to Van Nuys early in the morning and boarded Han Yi's G650ER.

In the early morning of October 2016, 10, they were the last group of Han Music team to head to Los Angeles.

On the same plane, there were Kevin Kusatsou who had just finished his European tour, and Diplo who had finished his performance in Tampa Bay on the 23rd and returned to Los Angeles to relax for two days. They faced each other on the other side of the aisle. Sitting there, one is watching a video and the other is editing the set for the performance on his laptop.

Karen Guo, Adrian Nunez and Christopher Stewart were sitting on the sofa opposite the TV, staring at the tablet in Adrian's hand and talking quietly. Han Yi, who just passed by, vaguely heard that they were discussing Cardi. B mixtape sample confirmation work. These three executives are not responsible for the specific implementation of the music festival activities, but only participate in the project as auxiliary forces, so they do not need to be stationed in Las Vegas a week or even two weeks in advance like Celine Joshua and others.

Of course, there are also the workaholic Zhao Youzhen who stayed at the Xinghui Building until the last moment, and the top student Xu Yiru who took two days off for the first time. The two of them were not idle on the plane. They sat in the office area at the front of the plane. One continued to communicate with UTA to arrange the artist's upcoming performance schedule, and the other was concentrating on reviewing and preparing for the half-term exam next Monday.

"Safie has classes on Friday, it's better not to let her delay her studies."

"I didn't expect you to be a good student." Han Yi put another cup of coffee in front of Madison and said with a smile, "Your cappuccino."

"Thank you...don't look down on me, I'm at school..."

Madison picked up the coffee and took a sip, pouted and wanted to refute, but recalled embarrassingly that he was not the material for reading at all.

"It's just because I didn't perform well that I didn't want Safi to be like me."

"Like you, become a big star?"

"What a big star, I don't count." Madison glanced at Han Yi, who was still standing there, strangely, "Why don't you sit down?"

"I……"

Han Yi looked around and couldn't tell anything.

There are people on this plane. If you take a peck while sitting down, what if other people find out... How to explain?

Although Yu Zhen and Xiao Ru could not be seen on the other side of the cabin, even if Kevin Kusatsu saw it, it would be an unjust case that cannot be defended.

"I'm not a fool."

Madison lowered her voice and patted the empty space next to her.

"Sit down."

Han Yi was so stable that he was even ready to leave.

"Don't make me stand up."

Han Yi sat down instantly.

Not as knowledgeable as a little girl.

"Don't be nervous, I'm measured...relax."

Madison curled up her feet, shrank into the blanket between her legs, and rested her head on Han Yi's shoulder. However, it was not the posture of a little bird leaning on the side of the face, but the posture with her back to Han Yi. Anyone who saw it would just see that she was using the boss's shoulder as a backrest, without any hint of ambiguity.

"I won't do a sneak attack in public."

After observing carefully and making sure that no one was paying attention, Madison turned around and nibbled Han Yi's ear very quickly, then turned his head as if nothing happened, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"Then what's this?" Han Yi, whose heart was tingling, swallowed a mouthful of saliva and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"That's me...words don't count."

Madison's back was turned to him, and Han Yi couldn't see her expression, but from the slight shrug of her shoulders, she could also see the pride of the Long Island girl after her trick was successful.

"Why did I fall for this?"

“‘Cause you fall for me, that’s the way it is.”

There are some words that are fine in your mind, but once you say them out, no matter how calm you are, they will make you blush and your heart beats. Madison closed her eyes completely this time and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down her emotions.

"Aren't you tired?" Han Yi covered his mouth and coughed twice, forcibly changing the subject, "Didn't you just come back from New York yesterday?"

"I came back in the morning and caught up on a day's sleep at home. I'm not sleepy." Madison turned her face and gave him a sweet smile, "Do what you should do, don't worry about me, I'll be alone for a while. .”

"Okay... then, if you don't mind, I have to take a nap first." Han Yi yawned at the right time, "I had a meeting with Las Vegas last night, and it lasted until after two o'clock."

"Would you like me to lower the chair for you?"

"It's okay, I'll do it myself."

Han Yi originally wanted to go to the independent bedroom at the rear of the plane to rest, but as soon as he sat down, sleepiness swept over him. The closer to the music festival, the more things are going on. Although there is a team of more than 24 people working at high intensity hours a day, the decisions that need to be made by him personally are still unimaginably complicated.

In the past three days, Han Yi, who was increasingly excited and highly nervous, only slept for ten hours in total. So, as soon as his eyes closed, Han Yi fell into sleep.

However, music, film and television, investment, acquisitions... Han Yi, who is so busy with himself, is difficult to separate from his active state. Therefore, even though he was extremely sleepy, he only rested for less than a quarter of an hour before opening his eyes again.

Nothing has changed in the cabin, Kevin Kusatsu is still watching the video, and Diplo’s set hasn’t been finished yet. The two brothers Billi and Phineas continued to sleep soundly, while Xiaoru and Youzhen were also competing to see who was the girl who worked the hardest...

Only Madison Beal, who was originally leaning on his shoulder, changed his position.

She turned 180 degrees, with the back of her head pressed against the wall, her hands clasping her knees, and her eyes unblinking as she stared at him who had just woken up from his sleep.

"What's wrong?" Han Yi rubbed his groggy eyes, "Is there something on my face?"

"No."

Madison shook her head, put her cheek on her knees, and spilled the honey from the corner of her eyes to her mouth.

"I was just thinking..."

"How lucky I am to meet you."

(End of this chapter)